Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Wednesday 4 August 1999

Scottish Executive

Boundaries

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what boundaries are implied by the use of the word ‘Scotland’ in Section 29(2)(a) of the Scotland Act 1998 and whether it will provide details relating to these boundaries to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Mr Jack McConnell: For the purposes of the Scotland Act 1998, "Scotland" bears its ordinary meaning which derives from a variety of sources, some statutory, some based in common law and some based on generally accepted historical fact. Section 126(1) of the 1998 Act expressly defines "Scotland" as including so much of the internal waters and territorial sea of the United Kingdom as are adjacent to Scotland. Section 126(2) enables the boundary to be determined by subordinate legislation between waters which are or are not to be treated for the purposes of the 1998 Act as internal waters or territorial sea of the United kingdom adjacent to Scotland. The Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundaries Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/1126) specifies the boundary.

Education

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of the increasing number of incidents involving harmful internet material on school computers, what measures, further to the use of software guards, it intends to take to ensure that children and teaching staff are protected from inadvertently downloading or viewing such material.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The risk of inadvertently accessing inappropriate Internet material is small. The nature of such sites is usually evident from the search results displayed before the site is accessed. Good filtering software will prevent access to known harmful sites. The best support to these software precautions is provided by information and education for users.

  Guidance has been made available to schools and education authorities over the last four years, and the Scottish Executive is preparing a new pack of materials for schools and others. The pack includes information and resources for children and young people, their parents or carers, as well as for teachers and managers. The materials to clarify potential risks and empower Internet users in schools so they can keep themselves safe. This material will be distributed to schools in September 1999.

  Schools and Education Authorities have a key role in protecting children from these risks. When Local Authorities were invited to apply for their share of the Excellence Fund they were reminded of their responsibility for ensuring that clear local policies and procedures exist for the safe and ethical use of information and communications technology (ICT).

  The training currently provided to Scottish teachers and school librarians through the New Opportunities Fund ICT Training scheme includes training in ethical issues relating to the use of ICT in a teaching and learning environment. This includes the risks of harmful Internet materials.

Environment

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether responsibility transfers to it on 1 July for (a) protection of the marine environment and wildlife from pollution resulting from oil exploitation and oil spills in Scottish waters and (b) licensing of oil exploration in Scottish deep water areas.

Mr John Home Robertson: Within controlled waters (ie waters within the meaning of section 30A)(1) of the Control of Pollution Act 1974), responsibility for the protection of the marine environment from oil pollution rests with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency which is accountable to Scottish Ministers. Elsewhere in Scottish waters that responsibility is reserved to Westminster by the Scotland Act 1998.

  The licensing of oil exploration in all UK waters is reserved to Westminster.

Health

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the number of registered drug addicts in Scotland for each of the past ten years and give a breakdown by health board area.

Susan Deacon: The statistics presented in the attached table relate to notifications under the Misuse of Drugs (Notification of and Supply to Addicts) Regulations 1973 which, up until 30 April 1997, required doctors to send to the Chief Medical Officer at the Home Office particulars of persons whom they considered, or suspected, to have been addicted to any of the 14 controlled drugs.

  The table presented includes information up to and including 1996. There have been no statistics published since that date because of the closure of the Index at the end of April 1997.

  Drug addicts notified to the Home Office during the years 1987 - 1996 by health board of notifier 

  

 
1987 

1988 

1989 

1990 

1991 

1992 

1993 

1994 

1995 

1996 



Health Board
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Argyll & Clyde
36 

57 

21 

29 

55 

84 

89 

138 

122 

199 



Ayrshire & Arran
1 

15 

13 

18 

30 

79 

99 

205 

254 

342 



Borders
2 

- 

1 

5 

5 

14 

3 

7 

3 

15 



Dumfries & Galloway
8 

13 

9 

23 

35 

44 

55 

90 

112 

166 



Fife
68 

36 

9 

14 

48 

42 

47 

120 

67 

89 



Forth Valley
19 

123 

74 

118 

191 

230 

249 

184 

125 

28 



Grampian
38 

33 

59 

84 

170 

254 

379 

481 

497 

611 



Greater Glasgow
322 

206 

171 

293 

352 

442 

578 

1518 

1473 

1738 



Highland
3 

3 

3 

4 

8 

27 

16 

19 

20 

40 



Lanarkshire
59 

63 

63 

40 

46 

58 

135 

156 

153 

188 



Lothian
147 

154 

234 

365 

353 

381 

359 

583 

556 

942 



Orkney
- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

2 

- 

- 



Shetland
1 

2 

2 

- 

- 

- 

- 

6 

5 

2 



Tayside
99 

95 

69 

191 

187 

184 

196 

221 

168 

156 



Western Isles
1 

- 

- 

- 

- 

2 

1 

- 

- 

- 



Scotland
805 

800 

728 

1,184


1,480


1,841


2,206


3,730


3,556


4,516





   Source : Home Office Addicts Index

Health

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide the names and locations of registered residential drug rehabilitation centres and day-care rehabilitation centres in Scotland together with details of the number of clients referred to such centres and by whom they were funded for each of the past five years.

Susan Deacon: Following is the information available in respect of services registered with local authorities. Comparable information for earlier years is not readily available. There is in addition a wide range of drug treatment and support services provided by local authorities, health boards and private and voluntary organisations which are not so registered or which have not indicated drug treatment as their main function in their returns to the department.

  The need for more reliable information on drug misuse services and spend is acknowledged in Tackling Drugs in Scotland: Action in Partnership and key facts and figures will be collected in a consistent basis across all Drug Action Team areas in order to monitor progress and as part of the new Drug Action Team Planning cycle process.

  

Registered Residential Drug
Rehabilitation Centres as at 31 March 1998 1
and 2 



Name
Location 



Aberlour Child Care Trust 3
Edinburgh 



Bethany Christian Trust
Edinburgh 



Glasgow Drug Crisis Centre
Glasgow 



Links Project
Edinburgh 



Phoenix House
Glasgow 



Rainbow House
Glasgow 



Red Tower 4
Helensburgh 



Scarrell Road Project
Glasgow 




  During the year ending 31 March 1998 there were a total of 215 long term admissions and 554 respite care admissions to the above establishments.

  Notes:

  1. It is not possible from the information available to provide details of client funding.

  2. Other centres may have people attending for drug rehabilitation services but not recorded as such.

  3. Includes day care facilities.

  4. Red Tower is described as a drug detoxification unit.

  

Day Care Drug Rehabilitation
Centres as
at 31 March 1998 1 and 2 



Name
Location 



Whitehill House
Peterhead 



Wishart Centre
Dundee 




  During the week ending 31 March 1998 there were a total of

  146 clients attending the above centres.

  Notes:   1. It is not possible from the information available to provide details of client funding.

  2. Other centres may have people attending for drug rehabilitation services but not recorded as such.

Health

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide the names and locations of registered drug detoxification centres and day-care drug detoxification centres in Scotland together with details of the number of clients referred to such centres, by whom they were referred and by whom they were funded, for each of the past five years.

Susan Deacon: I would refer to the answer I gave to S1W-517, also answered today.

Property

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the terms are of the bequest of Bute House, Charlotte Square and whether any restrictions on the use of the House were incorporated in the bequest.

Donald Dewar: All rights interests and liabilities relating to Bute House and belonging to a Minister of the Crown were transferred to Scottish Ministers by virtue of paragraph 3 of The Transfer of Property etc. (Scottish Ministers) Order 1999.

  Scottish Ministers hold Bute House under a sublease from the Bute House Trustees who in turn lease the building from the National Trust for Scotland.

  The building is to be used as an official residence, and for the entertainment of distinguished visitors and other functions.

Property

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Bute House, Charlotte Square is occupied currently and, if so, by whom.

Donald Dewar: I refer the Member to the answer I gave to his other question S1W-637.

Property

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all the rooms in Bute House, Charlotte Square are being utilised and, if so, for what purposes.

Donald Dewar: Bute House has served as the official residence of, successively, the Secretary of State for Scotland and the First Minister. Its rooms continue to be used to fulfil that role through, for example, the provision of accommodation and facilities to receive and entertain distinguished guests. Since the Scottish Parliamentary elections, it has also provided a Cabinet Room for the Scottish Executive.